What LED Lighting should I get?

[cleverbs]

Setting up a 220g Reef and Looking to possibly change out my lighting. I Currently have 4x 120W Dimmible Full Spectrum Evergrow LED Fixtures with 90Degree optics. However Im not sure I am happy with them on my 75g so IDK if I want to use them on the 220g. I dont see much of any growth from them ever since I put them on the tank however the tank has been a bit out of wack because of my new move coming up.

I am interested in getting a high quality LED that will give me good color and growth, I know that I could go with Radions but the price of 1900$ to light my tank is a bit much but if thats what I need to spend then thats what I need to spend and I could just buy them one at a time and slowly replace my current LED's. However what are other options out there for good growth and that wont break the bank. IMO LED is the only way to go due to not having to buy bulbs and having a huge electric bill.

 

[nlgill13]

If i redid my LEDs I would go with AI's either Vegas or Hydras. Most likely Hydra b/c they are more then just the visible spectrum...they have both the IR and UV ranges which is a lot closer to earths actual spectrum range.

 

[lucky_snapper]

I have Raidon Pro's on my 220 and currently using 2 units to cover the tank and it is doing a fantastic job. You can see a pic here on this thread.. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2318771. After watching a review by Mr. Saltwater Tank today with 2 raidon pro's I dont think I will need any other light. He measured 600 par on the sand bed with only 2 Radions. The new TIR lenses help spread the coverage out and it clearly covers my entire tank. I highly recommended them.

 

[cleverbs]

Wow well I could definitely afford 2 radions maybe ill use two and see how i like them. are you seeing good growth from them?

Iv also been considereing getting 1 and putting it in the middle and having two evergrows on each side of it and seeing if i see better growth from the radion.

 

[jp634]

lighting

lighting

I would go with AI's I have 2 over a 75 and love them want to put in a120 and then I would add 2 more AI's:bounce3:

 

[dattong]

I just bought 2 Mitras 6200HV for my next upgrade tank, currently running on my 75g. The color and brightness are amazing. You can basically tweak to any spectrum you like. The light is uniformly spread. I would pick these fixtures over radion pros any time. It's really worth the money spent. You need to spend a little time on learning the software though, but once you got it; setting it up is a breeze. Mitras can cover up to 36x 30 with no problem from what I see. Just wait for a promotion they cost just as much as radion pros.

 

[unreal45]

I don't think your lights are the problem.

 

[RedDeadReef]

I have the same evergrow full spectrum lights and I get great sps growth.....but that's off topic lol. I think the radion pros are better than ai but two definitely wont cover much.

 

[Quik Z06]

I'm looking at getting evergrow myself so interested as to why you think they are bad.

 

[dkeller_nc]

I suspect you will not be happy with only 2 Radion fixtures over a 220. Same for AI Vegas/Hydras or anyone else's modular fixtures. The specific reason isn't absolute PAR values, it's having 2 essentially point sources of light over your tank, which casts pretty hard shadows.

I have 2 Vegas over a 50 gal tank (2 feet square water surface) for just that reason - to cut down on the shadows from essentially point source lights. I'd also note that this isn't an effect that can be overcome by lenses with a greater radial spread (e.g., 120 deg vs 90 deg) - you still have point-source emitters.

There are 2 companies that I know of that have gotten around this problem by combining t5 HOs with LEDs - ATI Powermodule LED, and Pacific Sun Pandora Hyperion S. The ATI fixtures can be purchased with as many as 8 t5 HO lamps in a 60" fixture. The Pacific Sun fixtures use 2 t5 HO lamps. The Pacific Sun's LED arrays have a considerably wider spectrum than the ATI Powermodules, but it's probably irrelevant with the ATI because of the number of t5 bulbs that allow wide spectrum adjustment.

Both of these options are going to cost in the $2k range.

 

[lucky_snapper]

I suspect you will not be happy with only 2 Radion fixtures over a 220. Same for AI Vegas/Hydras or anyone else's modular fixtures. The specific reason isn't absolute PAR values, it's having 2 essentially point sources of light over your tank, which casts pretty hard shadows.

I have 2 Vegas over a 50 gal tank (2 feet square water surface) for just that reason - to cut down on the shadows from essentially point source lights. I'd also note that this isn't an effect that can be overcome by lenses with a greater radial spread (e.g., 120 deg vs 90 deg) - you still have point-source emitters.

There are 2 companies that I know of that have gotten around this problem by combining t5 HOs with LEDs - ATI Powermodule LED, and Pacific Sun Pandora Hyperion S. The ATI fixtures can be purchased with as many as 8 t5 HO lamps in a 60" fixture. The Pacific Sun fixtures use 2 t5 HO lamps. The Pacific Sun's LED arrays have a considerably wider spectrum than the ATI Powermodules, but it's probably irrelevant with the ATI because of the number of t5 bulbs that allow wide spectrum adjustment.

Both of these options are going to cost in the $2k range.

There are absolutely no shadows in my system. I get complete even coverage. The lights are hung 10 in above the waterline and I could not be happier.

 

[dkeller_nc]

There are absolutely no shadows in my system. I get complete even coverage. The lights are hung 10 in above the waterline and I could not be happier.

Well, from a physics perspective that isn't actually possible, but if you're happy with the results, that is all that counts.

 

[lucky_snapper]

Well, from a physics perspective that isn't actually possible, but if you're happy with the results, that is all that counts.

Respectfully, According to Ecotech the Radion will project a 36X36 Coverage area and that means with two units it would cover a 72in tank which is what I have. I am not trying to argue with you but I respectfully disagree. When I stand in my living room and look at the tank there are no shadows. All I see is even light coverage. The Radions are proven to put out ridiculous par numbers even on the sand bed. So that being said I am very confident that you could grow any SPS coral you wanted under 2 Radions even in a larger tank like mine. Now if you wanted to for piece of mind you could employ 3 units but I do not believe it to be necessary or cost effective to do so. I encorage you to watch this review done my Mark Calahan Mr. Saltwater Tank TV. He uses a par meter to compare the Raidon Gen 1, Gen II, and Pro and the results are amazing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ob1PYQ9buKY

I was on the fence about how many Radions I might need to grow corals but after seeing the PAR results I am convinced that 2 will be good enough for me. Watch for yourself and be the judge.

For those of you who do not want to watch the video here are the Stats.

2 Radion Pro PAR #'s

100% Intensity

Top 1991

3/4 954

1/2 561

1/4 439

Sand Bed 429


50% Intensity

1170

624

370

272

226

 

[sirreal63]

I am curious where you see the Radion will project coverage for a 36x36 area? Looking at the chart on their website at 30" there is zero PAR, and at 24" it is minimal PAR.

As far as Mark's testing, it was straight down under the light, not off to the side, which actually does matter as that is how you determine spread. Just because the PAR is 561 in the middle, under the light, does not mean that the PAR is 561 at 18" to either side of the fixture. (that would make the 36" coverage) Just because you see light that does not mean there is PAR there. Mark is a great guy who makes entertaining video's but no where in his video did he suggest anything other than what the light was under the fixture, so it is easy for people to assume that those PAR numbers are consistent throughout the tank, the reality is it is not.

You could adequately light a 6' tank with just two, if you had two islands set up, one directly under each fixture. It is a great fixture but it does not defy physics.

 

[dkeller_nc]

I Just because the PAR is 561 in the middle, under the light, does not mean that the PAR is 561 at 18" to either side of the fixture. (that would make the 36" coverage)

You could adequately light a 6' tank with just two, if you had two islands set up, one directly under each fixture. It is a great fixture but it does not defy physics.

This is what I mean by "no shadows" not being possible from a physics perspective. That doesn't mean that one can't be satisfied with the overall lighting of one's tank, nor that one can't grow coral under such a fixture (or off to the side, as the case may be). But fundamentally, modular LED fixtures emit light over (at most) a 3-4" diameter circle, which is essentially a point source for purposes of lighting a tank.

A fluorescent fixture, by contrast, has a relatively even emission over the length of the fluorescent tubes, so by their very nature they produce a more even light over a tank. That said, I went with 2 point-source AI Vega fixtures over my new 50 gal cube for their obvious energy and heat considerations.

 

[sanababit]

Why so technical guys, if the guy says that there is no shadows, then he is telling the thruth, many of us are in to the hobby for the fun of it, we learn as we go along, AND learn from our mistakes too, no need to prove that he might be wrong or right, in time he might surprise us with a beatiful reef with many colorful corals just with 2 radions lighting his tank, btw i use t5, and not a led guy, maybe in the near future, lol

Sana

 

[sirreal63]

To me, it is simple. Someone will see this thread and think that a Radion will correctly cover a 36" space with adequate PAR to keep corals happy, and it might if you raised it high enough and ran it at 100%, but that opens up other issues such as light spill and looking at the LED array while viewing the tank, not good for the eyes or viewing. Ecotech put that graph showing spread on their site to help people make an educated decision on how many they will need. I have never known them to be anything less that very ethical and I doubt they would want people hyping their product with poor information, that hurts them in the long run.

How the aquascape is set up does come into play, as it does with every lighting source. Using the correct number of fixtures depends on how, what and where you need the PAR. Take a look at D2mini's Radion powered 7' tank, he chose to use 4 fixtures because the tank has corals all over it, he needs the coverage. Could he have used 3? Perhaps but the coverage would not be consistent. Could you get away with 2 on a 6' tank? Perhaps but the coverage would not be consistent.

 

[sanababit]

I understand that everyone one of us have to make educated decisions on the equipment we buy, thus we have to research it first, i really undestand that, but, if someone comes on here and he is telling us his experience on a piece of equipment then he must be telling the truth, why?, because i am not near his tank to disprove what be is telling us, so take them For what they are, experiences only, for my self i do a little bit more research because the problem is that there are a lot of different opinions here and i really dont know which to pick..

Sana

 

[cleverbs]

I have been doing a bit of research about running two and I just don't see how it's feasible. The fixtures won't have nearly enough par in a least 1/3rd of the tank. I am exploring other options and am think of going with AI sol super blue or AI Hydras. However I'm not sure what one is the better option. They cost the same so I'm trying to fugure out what the better one is for a reef.

 

[lucky_snapper]

I want to say that I did make a mistake earlier when I stated max coverage was 36x36 . It is actually 30x30. I do still stand by my believe that 2 will be sufficient for my tank after having run them and seeing the par numbers. If I had an all SPS tank then I might justify dropping another 899 for a unit. Right now I am shooting for an LPS dominated tank so I think I will be ok. If for some reason down the road I find that it is necessary to add another fixture I just might do it. That is the cool thing about the radions ...they are modular.